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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. firm — steady
  4. pound — a weight
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. bat — the animal
  9. firm — a company
  10. fall — to drop
  11. fall — the season
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. bass — the fish
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. row — to paddle
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. row — a line
  21. bass — low music
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. firm — decided
  24. fall — to drop

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com